


i shall take care of you, my love, (forever and always until we're undone)

by namedawesome (davethetennant)



Series: love on the fringes, interwoven (so it shall be, and so it shall remain) [4]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: A deleted scene, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and cuddles, Sick Fic, it's cute guys, like hella cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-02 10:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19197151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/davethetennant/pseuds/namedawesome
Summary: Lucifer had never seen Chloe like this before. She was lethargic and her eyes were bright, and he was worried. Ella had mentioned that the Detective was probably getting sick. She was stressed enough and being sick was the last thing she needed. He sighed as he brought her tea instead of coffee like he usually would (and he hoped she wouldn’t be mad at him for it because she’d already almost bitten Dan’s head off for “absolutely no reason” according to Dan, but as Lucifer saw it, begging off from a weekend with his daughter didn’t seem like no reason).





	i shall take care of you, my love, (forever and always until we're undone)

**Author's Note:**

> and here we have another!!!!!!! enjoy!!

Lucifer had never seen Chloe like this before. She was lethargic and her eyes were bright, and he was worried. Ella had mentioned that the Detective was probably getting sick. She was stressed enough and being sick was the last thing she needed. He sighed as he brought her tea instead of coffee like he usually would (and he hoped she wouldn’t be mad at him for it because she’d already almost bitten Dan’s head off for “absolutely no reason” according to Dan, but as Lucifer saw it, begging off from a weekend with his daughter didn’t seem like no reason). 

“I got you some tea, darling,” he said as she set it on her desk. “It sounded like your voice was a little… rough… so I put some honey in it for you.”

Chloe looked up at him and gave him a misty smile. “Thanks, babe,” she said softly, and her voice sounded a little hoarse, but she took a sip of the tea and the crease between her brows calmed a little. 

There was a moment of quiet between them, Lucifer smoothing a hand over her back and her leaning against him more and more with every moment. “I don’t think you’re well, darling,” he told her softly, gently like he wanted to be holding her in his arms.

“I think you’re right,” Chloe sighed, and then she started coughing, eventually burying her face against his side as she tried to control her breathing. 

Lucifer ran a hand over her hair before placing it against her forehead. The way she leaned into his touch made him smile at her so very soft, but how hot she felt against his hand wiped it away in the same instant. “Chloe, darling, you have a fever, love…” he told her. He hushed her when she shook her head and tried to tell him that she didn’t. “Miss Lopez did say the flu was going around…” he told her. 

Chloe coughed again. “I don’t want the flu,” she pouted at him. 

“I know, darling,” he sighed. And then he told her he would be right back and went to the Lieutenant’s office to ask for some time off for Chloe. He explained that he thought that she might have the flu and if it were possible, could the Detective please take some sick leave. He was told that she could take as much time as she needed, because the Detective had some sick days saved up. He thanked her, and when he went back to the Detective’s desk, she had her head cradled in her arms and he knew then that she wouldn’t protest her going home today, or her sick leave. 

“Come on, love,” he said as he ushered her out of her seat. He walked her to the car and worriedly drove her home. She fell asleep as he drove, and he had no problem carrying her inside. He settled her into bed and left her a note on the nightstand letting her know that he was going to pick up Beatrice and some medicine for her. 

Beatrice was supremely happy to see him in the pick-up line but as soon as he mentioned that her mother might be sick, she was worried. “Was it because of a case? Like… like last time?” the little girl asked, as he parked the car in the grocery store parking lot. 

“No, dear heart,” he told her. He held out his hand for her as he rounded the car, and she held on tight as they walked into the store. He grabbed one of the hand baskets and led the little girl straight to the aisle with the medicine. He picked out a few different cold and flu medicines as well as some headache pills and just in case because the Detective had once told him that Trixie usually got sick after she did, he got some children’s versions because he wanted to be prepared. 

“Are you sure it’s not like last time?” she asked. Her forehead was creased with worry and Lucifer knew there might be nightmares until the Detective was feeling better. 

“Positive, darling,” he said, and he smoothed a hand over her head as she leaned against his leg. “We didn’t have a case today, and Miss Lopez said the flu was making its way around the station.” The little girl still didn’t look convinced. He sighed. “I know this is scary, my dearest heart, but I promise you, it’s not like last time at all.”

“Okay, papa,” the little girl sighed, and Lucifer scooped her up and held her against his hip as he navigated the rest of the store. He made sure to buy everything he needed for a hearty chicken soup recipe and groceries for the rest of the week. He also picked up some goldfish knowing that the little girl might want some. 

Lucifer was loading the groceries onto the conveyor belt so they could check out, when Trixie asked him again, “You promise that Mommy’s gonna be okay?”

“Yes, dear heart, I promise. She just caught something; no hospital this time, little darling,” he told her as he paid, not noticing that everyone around him was gushing at how adorable they were being. He scooped her up and rushed out of the store with his bags. 

When they got home, he had Trixie start on her homework after letting the little girl check on her mother. She was worried and he didn’t want her to worry anymore than she already was. While the little girl started on her homework, Lucifer started on the soup and then as soon as he was done with that and it was cooking, he took a few bottles of medicine up to the Detective’s room. 

She was sleeping, but it seemed fitful and Lucifer had no problem waking her, though he knew she needed her rest. She probably needed some medicine more. He woke her as gently as he could, and her whine in protest was adorable but he wanted to get her some medicine while he could. “Come on, darling, sit up for me, will you?” She pouted at him as she did, and she took the medicine he offered her without complaint. “Can I get you anything, darling?” he asked. 

“Is Trixie okay?” she asked. 

He nodded, “She’s alright… Worried, but fine.” 

Chloe sighed, and then broke off into a coughing fit. “I want to see her,” she said, her voice hoarse. 

“I’ll bring her up, love,” he told her. “Lay down, rest a bit. I’ve got some soup on, so I’ll bring that up to you later, alright?”

She nodded and yawned. She laid down and before he stood, she grabbed his hand. “She’s gonna have nightmares again, isn’t she?” she asked sniffling.

He handed her a tissue. “Yes,” he sighed. He hated it, but she would.

“We just got them to stop,” Chloe’s eyes filled with tears and Lucifer tutted at her and wiped them away as they fell. “I just want her to happy, babe… I just… I want her to be able to sleep without waking up scared and I want her to… I want her to have one of us get sick and not be scared to death that we’ll end up in the hospital!” She sobbed quietly as she always did when she was upset, and its broke Lucifer’s heart like it always did. He wasted no time in gathering her into his arms and placing soft kisses to her hair. He knew how she felt; it was what he wanted too. He had spent the past few weeks trying to help them both recover from Chloe’s stay in the hospital, and thanks to Linda they had gotten a rhythm back, but this… this threatened to undo that progress. “I just… I don’t want her to worry…” she rasped. 

“I know, my darling,” he sighed. “We’ll show her. She might have nightmares, but… we’ll help her, love. The way you can help her is to get better. I’ll bring her up, you rest.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he laid her back down. He closed the door behind him and sighed. He knew he was going to be busy this week, and he just… He wanted both Beatrice and her mother to be okay, to not have to worry… 

He stopped at the foot of the stairs and watched his- _her_ \- her daughter. She was biting her lip and staring up at her mother’s room, ignoring the book in front of her. He stopped himself from sighing again. “Beatrice, darling,” he began, and the little girl met his eyes guiltily (and he’d never get mad at her for worrying about her mother) and he gave her a smile. “Come with me, darling girl,” he said, and he held out his hand to her. 

She practically ran to him and hugged him around the waist. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs to her mother’s room. Chloe was still awake and smiled wearily at the little girl when Lucifer set her on the bed. “Hey, monkey,” Chloe rasped. 

“Hi, Mommy, are you okay?” she asked, her lip trembling. 

Chloe nodded. “I just have a cold or the flu, baby, I’m gonna be fine, I promise,” Chloe said. 

“Lucifer said that too…” Trixie said looking down at her hands.

Chloe smiled and coughed a little, “Lucifer never lies, you know that, don’t you?” The little girl nodded and glanced at him. “It’s okay to be scared or worried about me being sick… you know that, right?” Trixie nodded. “But this isn’t like last time at all, I promise,” she cleared her throat trying not to cry.

“Then why are you crying,” Trixie asked, her eyes finally spilling over.

Chloe sniffled, “Because I’m worried about you, monkey.”

Trixie’s brow furrowed, “Why? You’re the one that’s sick…”

“I just don’t want you to have nightmares about the hospital,” Chloe sighed. “Nothing like that is ever gonna happen to me again, okay?”

“Okay…” she sniffled. “Can I have a hug?” Chloe nodded and gathered her daughter in her arms. They stayed like that for the longest time, and Lucifer let them be for a moment while he went and checked on the soup and to see if Trixie had finished her homework (she had, and all of her math sets were correct and there were no major errors in any of her other work, so she wouldn’t have to fix it before dinner). The soup was done after a long moment of him staring at it and he readied two bowls. As he was focused on dinner, he felt little arms come around his waist again. “Mommy said she was tired, and that I should finish my reading before bed…” Beatrice sighed. 

“You probably should,” Lucifer sighed too. “How about you eat first?” 

“Did you get goldfish?” she asked.

“Of course, I did,” Lucifer gave her a sad smile. 

“Is mommy eating too?” she asked. “There’s only two bowls…”

“For you and mum, dearest heart,” he told her setting her bowl and some goldfish on the table for her. “I’ll eat later,” he said at her worried look. She didn’t look convinced and he pressed a kiss to her head. “I will, my little love, I promise,” he said, and only then did she nod.

He carried the other bowl of soup upstairs, knowing that Chloe needed to eat before she fell asleep. He opened the door and she opened her eyes for him, blearily staring at him with a pout. “I’ve got something for you to eat, my darling,” he said. He set it on the nightstand and gathered her in his arms so that she could lean against him while she ate. He didn’t want her to waste energy on sitting up. “It’ll help you feel better,” he told her when she whispered to him that she wasn’t hungry. She ate more than half the bowl, and Lucifer tucked her back in. She was deep in sleep before he even left the room, and as soon as he was downstairs, he saw that Trixie was now in her pajamas and holding one of the _Harry Potter_ books in her hands. 

“Will you read to me?” she asked. And of course, he agreed. He read her two chapters and she was still awake. “Are you gonna eat?” she asked him, biting her lip.

“Yes, I promised, didn’t I?” he raised a playful brow at her. 

She nodded with a small smile, “Will you sing to me?” 

He nodded too, and he sang to her as many times as it took her to fall asleep. He sighed as he closed the door to her room. He felt like he hadn’t done much, but he was already tired. He cleaned the kitchen, putting the soup away, and making a lunch for Trixie to take with her tomorrow. He was about to go lay down on the couch for a moment when he heard a small noise from upstairs and went to investigate. Chloe was out of bed, leaning heavily against the wall. “Darling, what are you doing out of bed?” he asked, practically scooping her up in his arms. 

“I’m thirsty,” she told him, her voice was much more hoarse than it had been, and he could hit himself for forgetting to bring her some water.

“I’ll bring it to you,” he told her, lying her back down. “Tea or water?” 

“Water, please…”

He rushed down the stairs as quietly as he could, silently beating himself up for forgetting. He noticed the time out of the corner of his eye and brought some medicine back upstairs with him as well. “Here we are, love,” he said as he eased through the door. “I’ve got some more of that medicine for you to take, as well. I remember one of those doctors you had said something about if you were to get sick, you’d need the help, or something to that effect…”

Chloe grimaced as she took the medicine and took a few careful sips of water before she laid back. “Thanks, babe…” she sighed. He barely responded as he felt her forehead with a frown. He got up and went into her bathroom, rummaging through her collection of washcloths to find the softest one. He wet it and brought it back out to her, placing it on her forehead. She sighed again, but this time in relief. “Did Trix go to sleep?” she asked.

He made an affirmative sound and then added, “She needed me to sing to her, but she did fall asleep.” Chloe nodded, and he rose asking her if she needed anything else. She told him that she didn’t, and he let her know that all she needed to do was call for him and he’d be there. 

He walked down the stairs and settled himself on the couch. He ran a hand down the side of his face and thought about maybe sleeping but what if one of his Deckers needed him? He sat on the couch for a few hours, dozing lightly, and then he woke when he heard a soft cry coming from the little girl’s room. 

As soon as she entered the room, she burst into tears. “Papa!” she cried and then she reached for him. He scooped her into his arms and held her close. “I was in the hospital, and mommy wouldn’t wake up and you never came back, and I was so scared, papa!” She was sobbing into his neck there was nothing he could do except hug her close and rub her back until she calmed down. 

“Mum’s fine, dearest heart,” he told her, pressing a kiss to her head. “She’s fine, love, I got there, and I saved her, I promise… I promise,” he was whispering assurances to her over and over until her sniffling stopped and she asked him to sing to her. He sang to her until she went boneless in his arms. He held her in his arms for the longest time, wanting the peace she could bring him. When he finally set her in her bed it was three in the morning, and Lucifer was tired. 

He left the room and leaned against the wall next to the door. He just… he wanted his daughter… her daughter, hers, to be okay, and he wanted his… he wanted Chloe to feel better. He didn’t like it when his Deckers were hurting. He lay down on the couch but try as he night, he couldn’t sleep. He stared at the ceiling until morning. 

“Papa?” Beatrice asked from behind the couch. 

He sat up and wiped his hands down his face. “What’s wrong, dearest heart?” he asked.

“I thought you slept upstairs with mommy now?” the little girl asked, climbing onto his lap.

He glanced at the time, they had time before she had to get ready for school. “Not all the time,” he hugged her close. “I didn’t want to wake her, so I stayed down here…” He left off the ‘in case you needed me again’ and sighed. 

“You look really tired…” she sighed. She sat back and held his face in her little hands, staring at him with a deep frown. “You should’ve slept upstairs, what if Mommy needed you?”

Lucifer let a small, fond smile stretch over his face. “I think mum needs her rest more than I do, darling girl. How about we get ready for school, and then we’ll tell mum goodbye before we go?”

The little girl nodded, and she got ready for school as Lucifer made her breakfast. She chatted to him happily about what her teacher might let them do that day, and how fun recess and art class was going to be. Before they left, they went to check on Chloe, she woke when they came into the room and Trixie placed a kiss to her mother’s forehead. Lucifer made sure she took her medicine while Trixie grabbed the lunch he’d made her from the fridge. 

“The medicine only works if you take it, love,” he told her. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and wet the washcloth he’d given her last night to put on her forehead. 

“But it makes me drowsy!” she complained through her stuffed nose, and she really did look precious, but only because she was pouting. He loved it when she pouted. 

“I know,” he sighed. “When I get back from taking our little urchin to school, I’ll come and keep you company, how’s that?” She nodded still pouting at him (and who knew that Chloe was so whiny and needy when she was sick? He wanted to know if this was just with him or if she’d always been that way) and he rushed down the stairs to see Trixie waiting for him. 

He took her to school and ran by the store to get some ingredients for dinner and when he got home, he made the Detective a light breakfast and brought it up to her. He woke her from her light doze, and she smiled weakly when she saw him. “Try to eat this, darling,” he said and offered her the lightly buttered toast he’d made. 

She managed to eat half of the toast, and then she sighed. He looked up from adjusting her blanket and saw her staring at him. “You look tired,” she told him. “Did you sleep at all last night?” He nodded at her, so he wouldn’t have to tell her that dozing off was a type of sleeping and brushed her hair from her forehead. She was staring at him with fever-bright eyes and he offered her a smile. “Trix have a nightmare last night?” she asked. 

“Just one,” he told her. “About the hospital, said I never came back to her like I promised…” He looked away from her for a moment. “She said you never woke up…”

Chloe’s eyes filled with tears and she sniffled. “She was okay this morning?” she asked, her voice rough and raw. 

“She was fine… Happier than yesterday afternoon,” he sighed. He yawned after a long moment and when he opened his eyes again, she was staring at him

Chloe pulled on his sleeve and pouted at him. “Come cuddle with me?” she asked him (more like she demanded it of him, but it was Chloe and he would never leave her wanting). He took off his belt, suit jacket, and shoes as he conceded to her begging. As soon as he slipped under the covers, Chloe cuddled up to him, burying her face in his chest. “How long did you sleep?” she whispered.

“Not long enough,” he sighed (she took his non-answer as a ‘less than three hours’ and frowned). 

“Sleep now?” she requested, and he watched as she huddled in closer and slipped one of her legs between his. He froze but after a long moment he relaxed, and she sighed, snuggling deeper into him. Lucifer wrapped his arms around her and chuckled as she muffled a cough in his chest. “Sorry,” she pouted. 

“It’s alright, my darling, just rest,” he told her. He lightly scratched at her back until she fell asleep and he let himself fall into a light doze. He stayed aware enough that he felt every movement she made, and he was constantly waking. Usually he would be sleeping peacefully with her, but he was much too worried about his Deckers. He wanted Chloe to get better and he wanted Beatrice to know that her mother was going get better. 

He noted the time and slipped out of bed. He checked his phone that he’d left downstairs; his mother had left five voicemails all angry, all wanting to know where he was, and all telling him to come home immediately. He ignored them, and saw that he had a few messages from Ella, to which he responded by assuring her that Chloe was alright and most likely had a mild form of the flu. He rubbed his face and sighed for what felt like the thousandth time. He took the keys to the Detective’s car and made his way to Beatrice’s school. He yawned as he sat in the car. His phone rang just as the bell did, and he answered it as the children flooded out of the school. “Hello?” Lucifer greeted. He hadn’t checked the caller ID as he’d answered. 

“Lucifer, I need you here now!” his mother demanded. 

Lucifer rolled his eyes, “Mum, I can’t, I’m busy.”

“What do you mean you’re busy?!” she demanded. 

“Exactly that,” Lucifer told her, “I’ve got to go, Mum, I’ll be home when I can.” And then he hung up as Beatrice climbed into the car. 

“Is Mommy feeling better?” she asked as she buckled her seatbelt. 

“A little bit, dear heart,” he said. “She’s still tired and she had a fever when I left.”

Trixie frowned and sighed. “I wish she would get better… I know it’s only been one day, but…”

Lucifer sighed and agreed with the little girl. There was nothing he could do besides give her medicine and food and encourage her to sleep. He sighed and when he pulled into the Detective’s parking spot he sighed. He still hadn’t slept properly, and at this rate, he’d be exhausted within the next few days. “Come along, dear heart,” he sighed again. “Let’s start your homework and decide whether or not we want spaghetti for dinner.”

“We do!” Trixie grinned at him, and he gave her a smile. He let her tell him all about her day at school as they made their way into the apartment. 

They both veered off to check on Chloe, but she seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, and Lucifer had to urge the little girl out of the room so he could make sure Chloe was alright (she wasn’t, her fever had gotten worse and she could barely talk because of how hoarse she was). He gave her some medicine for her cough and fever and when he left the room to check on Beatrice, he rested his head against the door for a moment to gather some strength. He wanted to fix this, but he had no idea how. After he took his moment, he went downstairs and watched as the little girl pulled her homework from her bag.

“What do you have for homework, Beatrice?” he asked as he smoothed her hair away from her face. 

“Science, Math, Language Arts, and Spelling,” she replied. “Can you help me with my science and math? We started new stuff today.”

He agreed and they spent an hour finishing up both subjects. He quizzed her on her spelling and told her to practice the ones she’d missed. He went up to check on Chloe again, and he could tell she was going to have a bad night because she was looking at him, but her eyes were fever bright and she pouted at him (the Detective only ever pouted playfully, so this had him worried). “Lucifer,” Chloe managed in a rough sob. 

His heart shattered in his chest and he gathered her in his arms, holding her tightly. “I’m here, darling,” he told her, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Rest, Chloe-darling, rest…” he whispered. He soothed her back to sleep, and he would give her more medicine, but the packages had said to wait six to eight hours before giving another dose. It’d had been about two hours and Lucifer didn’t know what to do other than get her more water and make her comfortable. 

“Is mommy okay?” Trixie asked. “You were up there for a long time…” The little girl was worried again.

Lucifer sighed. “She’s still sick, dear heart,” he said. He didn’t want to tell the little girl that her mother, his brave, strong Detective, was feeling much worse than she had the day before. He sent the little girl off to color or play (she chose to color, but she wanted to do it near him because she was worried, he could tell, and her coloring was a little less enthusiastic than usual) and he started preparing what he would need for dinner. Before he started, he heated up some soup (mostly broth) for Chloe and got her a fresh glass of water. He made sure Beatrice was alright before he went upstairs to make sure Chloe ate something. 

She was coughing when he entered the room, and he sat her up and made sure she spit what she was hacking up into a tissue before he maneuvered behind her to support her as he fed her (she tried to hold the spoon and feed herself, but she kept shaking). She could only eat half of the bowl and he made her drink some water before he laid her back down. “Call if you need anything, love,” he told her, placing a cool washcloth against her forehead. He had to take another moment as he left the room. He was tired and worried, and he wanted his Deckers to feel better (he’d just gotten them back to normal after Chloe’s stay in the hospital, and he was… he just wanted them both to happy and safe and healthy). He hurried downstairs, the half-full bowl of soup making him frown. 

Beatrice asked him if she could help him with dinner and he smiled genuinely for the first time that evening. He had her help him with the pasta, and she told him that her favorite part was smashing the tomatoes after they had been roasted (“It’s the most fun part!” she’d said with a grin, and he hadn’t even minded that she’d splattered some onto his shirt). He had her add the spices to the sauce and when it was ready, he sent her off to wash her hands. He sat at the table with her as they ate and she told him about her day and what she was going to do tomorrow, something about a project she had to do in class tomorrow and bring home before Friday. 

He let her upstairs to kiss her mother good night, she’d barely stirred, and he saw the little girl worrying at her lip with her teeth. He knew she might be in for another bad night, and he sighed, trying not to yawn. He read to her, another chapter of _Harry Potter_ , and then he sat with her, rubbing her back until she fell asleep. 

Lucifer decided that he should check on the Detective once more and was glad to see she was resting easier. Her fever had gone down a little bit and she stirred as he placed a kiss to her forehead. “Hey, babe,” she greeted him, her voice scratchy. 

“I should get you some tea with honey to help with that voice of yours,” he sighed. 

He rose to do so but Chloe’s hand on his stopped him. “Have you eaten today?” she asked him. He nodded, Chloe sighed, closing her eyes. “Trix was worried that you wouldn’t yesterday,” she rasped at him. 

“I did,” Lucifer chuckled. Even when she was sick, she was worried about him.

“Good,” Chloe sighed, her eyes closing, as she coughed. 

Lucifer stroked her hair back from her face and sighed. “I’ll get you some tea, darling,” he said, and then he placed a kiss to her forehead. He made the tea as quickly as he could (adding a liberal amount of honey), wanting to take her suffering away as much as he could and when he brought it back upstairs, she was waiting for him. “Here we are, Detective,” he said as he sat himself on the side of the bed. 

He watched as she took a few sips “Are you going to sleep tonight?” she asked after a moment. “Because it didn’t seem like you did last night…”

Lucifer sighed. “Beatrice had a nightmare last night; I stayed up in case she needed me…”

“Did you nap with me earlier?” Chloe asked clearing her throat. “It doesn’t look like you did…”

“Darling,” Lucifer started. “Why don’t you rest? You need to recover, or you’ll get dreadfully bored with me waiting on you every moment. We both know there’s only so much of me you can take.” He smirked and it tapered off into a grin as she snorted at him. He talked to her a moment longer, and then she started to fall asleep, so he tucked her in and placed the wet washcloth on her forehead. He yawned as me made his way down the stairs and he sat on the couch resolving to at least catch a nap. 

It felt like he had just closed his eyes and then he was shot awake when he heard a scream. It was coming from behind him, and he rushed toward it on instinct, before he remembered that his- the Detective’s, her daughter was having nightmares. He scooped the little girl into his arms and tried to calm her. She didn’t calm easily but Lucifer knew he had to be patient. When Beatrice was halfway to calm, Lucifer heard a faint call from upstairs. He knew it was the Detective wondering what had happened, and he knew she was much too weak to make it down the stairs to them. Beatrice dropped into sleep as he walked up the stairs like she had never even woken up (and this had happened a few times, Chloe had told him, after Malcom had taken her and she had seen him die, which he hadn’t known about, and felt… he was just… It made him hate himself a little bit more…). 

He met Chloe at the door to her room and caught her around the waist with the arm he wasn’t using to hold Beatrice. “Just a nightmare, darling,” he murmured into her hair. “That’s all, she’s alright, I promise, she’s already asleep.”

Chloe coughed harshly as she sat on the bed. “She never actually woke up?” Chloe asked. When Lucifer shook his head, Chloe’s lip wobbled and let out a sob. “I just want her to stop having nightmares…” she said wiping at her eyes. 

“I know, darling,” he hid a yawn as best as he could. “Lie down, I’ll be right back…” The little girl went down easier than she ever had after a nightmare, and Lucifer rushed back upstairs to see the Detective halfway through a major couching fit after working herself up. Lucifer cursed himself and scooped her into his arms. He never should have left her alone, but he really, didn’t want the little girl to get sick (but still… so, he cursed himself until her coughing fit stopped and a while longer than that). “There we are, dearest darling,” he sighed as he got her to take a breath in. “That’s it, love…” He was rubbing her back and handed her a tissue as she finally calmed. “Breathe for me, sweetheart,” he whispered into her ear. 

She leaned against him heavily. She was sweating and shivering. “She’s okay?” she rasped. 

“Yes, love,” he laid her down and placed a kiss to her forehead. “She went right back to sleep, darling.” He measured out some medicine for her, a cough syrup and a flu medicine combined, and he handed it to her, and she drank it, immediately reaching for the glass of water as she made a face at the taste.

“I hate this,” she whispered. “I hate being helpless when she’s like this…” Chloe coughed again, and as Lucifer rubbed her back, she sighed. 

Lucifer kept rubbing her back, not knowing what to say but wanting to be there for her. He sat there as he had done for her daughter, worried about the both of them. He wanted them… he wanted them to be able to sleep through the night. He didn’t want to leave the Detective alone, but he wanted to check on Beatrice. As soon as she dropped into sleep, he padded down the stairs and slipped into the little girl’s room. She was awake when he got there, and she held her arms out to him. He spent the rest of the night with her clinging to him. He wandered around the house as she slept with her arms tight around his neck. He knew he wasn’t getting anymore sleep that night, not that he would’ve been able to, or rather, that it wouldn’t have been restful. He kept a sharp ear out for Chloe as well, but she had exhausted herself with the couching fit that she had earlier, and Lucifer felt very guilty for being grateful about that.

Eventually, as he paced, the sun rose, and the little urchin’s alarm started going off. He woke her and had her start getting ready for school. He checked on the Detective and she was still sleeping; she still had a fever when he felt her forehead. He didn’t wake her and made sure to kiss the side of her head as he left the room. Breakfast was easy, except he accidentally burnt himself as he scrambled the little girl some eggs. He silently cursed his tiredness.

After he dropped off the little girl, he was called by Patrick to sign off on the inventory and take care of some business. He’d stopped off at the Detective’s apartment to give her some medicine and tell her where he would be. He made sure she had her phone so that she could call him if she needed to and then he rushed out the door. Inventory went off without a hitch, but in the middle of a business meeting with someone who wanted to use Lux as a venue for a fundraiser, his mother popped in. He managed to wrap up the meeting before his mother could say much, but he was stuck with her as he signed off on some papers and handed them off to Patrick. 

“Mother, I really don’t have the time,” he sighed. He started towards the elevator. This would be the best time for him to grab a few fresh suits. 

“Why not?” she asked. “You’ve just finished all of your human business, haven’t you?” 

He was barely listening, but he cursed as he checked the time. He rushed into his closet and grabbed three suits just in case, and then he rushed out towards the elevator again. “No, Mum, I haven’t. I really have to go,” he managed to hit the button for the elevator before she could join him, and her angry face made him sigh as he rode downwards. 

He had just enough time to pick Beatrice up as her school let out and she was happy to see him as always (he didn’t see her staring at him worriedly as he hid a yawn behind his hand). He tried to rush through a trip to the grocery store, but Chloe called while he was letting the spawn pick out some cereal and asked him to pick up some ginger ale and tissues. He told her that he would and that they would be home soon, and when he hung up Beatrice was staring up at him holding a box of Frosted Flakes. 

“Is mommy okay?” she asked, her voice small and tentative. 

“She is, dear heart,” he sighed with a tired smile. “She just told me she was feeling a little better…”

Beatrice brightened. “Really?” she bounced in place making Lucifer chuckle. She placed the cereal in the cart and asked if they could go home as she put her hand in his. 

He smiled at her, and led them out of the store, and once they got home, they were greeted by Chloe on the couch looking much better. She was shivering and looked very tired, but she was awake and alert, which was better than yesterday. Trixie cheered and went to go give her mother a hug, Lucifer trailing behind her, tired but happy that she was feeling better. After Chloe had sent Trixie off to do her homework, Lucifer slipped onto the couch next to her and placed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Hey… you okay?” she asked him, her voice a little raspy but sounding much more like herself than usual. 

“As long as you are, darling,” he told her, a tired smile covering his face. 

Chloe frowned and looked like she was about to say something, when Beatrice called for him (she needed a little help with her math homework and Lucifer was the best at math). He went to help her, but he felt the Detective’s eyes on him for a long time afterwards (even as he was putting dinner in the oven and quizzing the spawn about her spelling words and helping her with research for the project she was going to be bringing home the next day). He cleaned the kitchen, fetched Chloe anything and everything she needed because he insisted that she had to rest. She told him constantly that he needed rest too, but he brushed her off because yes, he was tired, but she was sick and she needed him which was more important (he, of course, considered those he… he cared about much more important than himself, and he was glad to have escaped that “talk” the Detective had been wanting to have with him about how he was important too which was more than a little difficult for him to believe because he’d never been that to anyone before, why would now be different?). 

Chloe had watched him most of the night, until her daughter wanted to cuddle before bed and tell her mother all of the fun things she’d done at school, and how her friends thought that Lucifer’s car was “super cool” and if his name was really Lucifer and all kinds of questions about him and how he was so cool. She’d whispered loudly to her mother that she’d told her friends he was her dad, and Lucifer froze as he heard that (never in his very long existence had he thought that he would be… that anyone would want him to… he was touched, beyond that really, and he had to take a moment to process). But eventually, it was time for Beatrice to get into bed, and Lucifer tucked her in after she had said ‘goodnight’ to her mother.

“Are you okay, Lucifer?” Beatrice asked as he tucked her into bed. 

“Just tired, darling girl,” he told her as she yawned and snuggled into her pillow. 

“Okay,” she sighed. “But are you gonna sleep? Mommy said you didn’t get to sleep last night…”

Lucifer shook his head, “I’ve gone longer without sleep, you urchin. Now, would you like me to read to you tonight?” The little girl requested the next chapter of the third _Harry Potter_ and she was asleep before he’d even finished it, snuffling into her pillow and making him chuckle fondly at her. 

He sat next to the Detective with a yawn and gave her a tired smile as she watched him. “You look really tired, babe,” Chloe told him. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to bed?” 

“I’ll go to bed later, darling,” he told her. He pulled her into his arms and sighed as he relaxed a little. “Are you sure you’re feeling better?” he asked, rubbing her back as she sighed at him.

“I’m just tired,” she murmured to him. “I think I’ll be better by tomorrow if I take it easy…”

“Good,” Lucifer told her. “I don’t like it when you’re sick, darling…” He didn’t say that it was because it reminded him of her poisoning, but he knew she could tell because she pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Hopefully our dear heart will be able to sleep through the night,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her hair. 

“She didn’t go right back to sleep yesterday?” she asked him, pulling back and placing a hand on his face.

Lucifer inwardly cursed; he hadn’t meant to tell her that… Perhaps he was more tired than he thought… “She was awake after I got you back to sleep, darling, but it was alright. She went back to sleep as well…”

“You didn’t get to lie down?” she asked. 

He shook his head, “She wouldn’t let me put her down. No wonder she was so tired tonight… Poor darling was probably on the verge of sleep worrying that I wouldn’t be there…” He rubbed at the center of his forehead and sighed again. He tried to hide a yawn again, but it burst through him and he blinked tiredly as Chloe chuckled at him, but that quickly dissolved into a coughing fit. Lucifer helped her through it, and then got up to make her some tea with honey to help her throat feel better. 

“Lucifer, you really don’t have to do that,” she told him as he started the kettle. 

“I know that, Chloe, darling, but let me anyway?” he gave her a soft smile from the kitchen (and she wished that he was next to her, that she had enough strength to make it to the kitchen because she wanted to hug him, to kiss him because he was just so very sweet sometimes that she couldn’t handle him without some sort of outpour of affection these days). He brought her the tea a few moments later and settled her against him so that she could drink it and lean on him at the same time. 

He’d made himself some as well and sighed as he took a sip. They were silent for the longest time, as they sat there, drinking their tea. Lucifer took a moment to place a gentle kiss to her hair and breathe in the peace she brought him. He yawned again and Chloe shifted against him, placing a kiss on his neck as she settled there. “Ready for bed, darling?” he whispered to her.

She hummed and snuggled deeper into his shoulder. He chuckled and hugged her to him for a long moment, before he stood, taking her with him and cradling her in his arms. He stood with her there for a while, staring down at her until she shuffled in his arms. He carried her up the stairs and as soon as he set her down, she clung to him and pouted until he agreed to lie down with her. 

He settled next to her with a sigh and let his eyes droop as she turned in his arms for what she once told him was a ‘proper cuddle’. She was tucked under his chin and he tried to stay awake in case she needed him, but her arm was draped over his waist and she was scratching lightly at his lower back and he was just so very tired. So, he dropped off into sleep. 

When he woke next, he was alone in bed, the room was dark, and he panicked for a moment before he heard the shower and looked at the clock. It was five in the morning. He settled back on the bed and sighed. He was tempted to go back to sleep, especially as he was surrounded by Chloe’s scent, but he knew if he went back to bed, he wouldn’t wake up. He closed his eyes and listened as Chloe shut off the water and came back into the room. He heard her rummage through the drawers for a moment and then she settled back into bed next to him. He wrapped himself around her and breathed in the scent of her clean skin as he nuzzled at the spot behind her ear. 

“Lucifer,” she sighed, happy and full of laughter. 

“Morning, darling,” he rumbled, and pulled her tighter to him. 

“Did you sleep okay?” she asked, carding a hand through his hair. 

He hummed at her and caught himself falling asleep again, grumbling as he pulled away from her (he did love to sleep in, but he had to take the urchin to school and the Detective was still feeling poorly and he needed to take care of her as well). He sat up and scrubbed at his face. He was aware that he looked a little haggard with his untrimmed stubble, turning more and more into a beard as the days wore on (and he knew he’d forgotten something as his mother was accosting him at his penthouse… perhaps he should buy one for the nights he stayed here, especially if he was going to be staying for more than one night in a row). 

“Lay back down,” Chloe requested, her fingers caressing his lower back gently.

“I won’t be up in time to take Beatrice to school if I do that, Detective,” he sighed. 

“I set an alarm,” she said with a pout, probably knowing that it would help her case (he loved it when she pouted, she was so cute and precious and it made him want to hold her close and kiss her, but he knew he wasn’t allowed).

He huffed a laugh and laid down on his side with his head propped up on one of his elbows, “I thought I was supposed to be the one dealing in temptations, darling…” 

She shook her head with a roll of her eyes. “I’m just worried about you, babe… You slept like a rock and you still look exhausted.” She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. 

“I can sleep when you’re better,” he told her. “Did Beatrice wake during the night?” he managed on a yawn. 

“No, she was fine, just like I’m going to be. I can take her to school, you know,” she told him as he hovered over her for a moment. 

He flopped onto his back, “You need to relax, my love, not take little urchins to school.”

“Luce…” she sighed. And he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the name. She chuckled, “Sorry, _Lucifer_ , you need to rest too. We want you healthy, okay? You don’t need to be useful for us to have you around, you know that, don’t you?”

He blinked at her. The concept was foreign to him, that someone would want him around because he was who he was, and not because he was useful. It went against everything he had ever been through and been taught and had learned. “Darling,” he started, but then he didn’t know what else he could say, so he stalled.

“Really, babe, we only want you around because we love and care about you,” she told him. and then she sniffled and coughed, the relief of her shower only lasting so long. “We don’t _need_ you to take care of us… We love that you do, but it’s not why we want you with us…” He continued to stare at her, because he didn’t understand why that was something that mattered. No one had ever… She was the first one to say something like that to him and he was… he didn’t know how to process it. “You have to tell us when you need something too, so we can take care of you…”

“Why would you want to do that?” his brow was furrowed, and he had to look away from her for a moment. “Why would anyone… Darling, I… No one ever… I’m not the type of thing people take care of…”

Chloe sat up and placed herself in front of him, placing a hand to his face and bringing his eyes to meet hers. “You’re not a thing, Lucifer. You’re a person, babe,” she took a shaky breath, like she was trying to hold back her tears. “Whoever told you that… they were wrong, and if it was your parents then… I really don’t like your parents, Lucifer…” 

“Makes two of us, darling,” he told her, looking down at his lap, trying to escape her gaze and her words. 

“You _are not_ a thing,” she told him. “You’re not a monster, you’re not evil, you’re not any of those bad things you think you are…” She pulled his head down to hers and placed a kiss to his forehead (and he gasped raggedly and closed his eyes… it felt like he was being blessed…). “You’re Lucifer and we love you. We want you with us because of who you are, not what you can do…” He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, but he pressed his face into her palm and let out a shaky sigh. He held her palm there for a long moment and then he pulled away, but he still wouldn’t look at her. She sighed again, and it was quiet for a long moment. “Do you want me around because I’m useful?” she asked softly.

“No!” he said, and maybe it was a little too sudden and horrified if her reaction as anything to go by.

“Then why would you think that’s why I want you around?” her brow was furrowed, and she looked very upset, and all he could do was blink at her. 

The alarm chose that moment to go off and Lucifer stood from the bed. “I best get dressed, darling,” he said. “The urchin needs to be taken to school…” He hurried away from her, taking his garment bag into the bathroom with him to get dressed. He sighed heavily and then he changed his clothes, making sure he looked immaculate. He came out of the bathroom and gave Chloe a gentle smile and a kiss to the forehead. “I’ll be back soon, darling,” he told her. 

Beatrice was awake when he got to the foot of the stairs and she hugged his waist as she rubbed at her eye. “Can you make cheesy eggs?” she asked him. He told her that he could and sent her off to brush her teeth and get dressed. As she ate her mother came down the stairs and wished her a good day with a kiss to her head. As she and Lucifer left the apartment, the little girl turned to her mother and told her that she was glad that she was feeling better. 

He dropped Beatrice off at school and then hurried back to the Detective. She was napping and quietly, he cleaned the house around her because it had been a little neglected over the past few days. Chloe woke when he was wiping off the coffee table (which had become mysteriously sticky) and she smiled at him like he was something she… well, it was a little like how she stared at her daughter, but very different at the same time. 

“Hey,” she rasped. He put a hand to her forehead as he sat on the couch by her hip. She didn’t have a fever, and he offered her a smile. “You still look tired…”

“I am,” he told her, and he was trying to remind himself that she told him that she cared about him for being him, but it was… it was difficult to unlearn the behavior he’d been taught to follow for millennia. “I’ve just got to wipe down the counters then I could… I could join you on the couch if you’d like…” 

She grinned at him, “Yeah… I’d like that…”

He placed a kiss to her forehead and wiped the counters off as quickly as he could. When he joined her, she gave him one of those smiles she saved just for him. Lucifer settled behind her on the couch and she turned in his arms and pushed him until he was resting on his back. She pillowed her head on his shoulder and snaked an arm around her waist. He tried not to yawn, but failed, and then he let his eyes slide closed. He dozed lightly, but he felt peaceful. He was relaxing with his Detective, his Chloe… 

She was feeling better, she was probably going to go to work in the morning even though her voice would be hoarse, but she was better. That was all he could ask for (except he didn’t want Beatrice to get sick, but he’d been a little strict about washed hands, so perhaps she wouldn’t…) There was nothing for him to worry about and he was more than happy with where he was. He was pleasantly warm with the Detective wrapped around him, and he was more than fine with the staying there as long as he could. 

He woke when it was time to get Beatrice, and Chloe had decided that she wanted to go with them, so they took her car. They were a little early, so they got out of the car, stood against it, and waited. Beatrice lit up when she saw them and ran to them yelling “Mommy! Papa!” and hugged the two of them like she hadn’t seen them in an entire week (which Lucifer thought was ridiculous but she _was_ his dear heart, so of course, he wasn’t going to complain; he lo- he was very fond of his two Deckers, after all…). They took her home and after the little girl’s homework had been done, Chloe ate dinner with them at the table for the first time all week.

He watched his two Deckers as they laughed and joked and smiled at him… He was glad that they were happy and healthy now. He knew they had a long way to go, that they all had to finish healing from Chloe’s time in the hospital, but today had been good for him, good for Beatrice as well. 

That night as they were putting Beatrice to bed, she told them that she didn’t think she was going to have a nightmare that night. Chloe teared up and told her that that was good, but if she did have one that was okay, and all she had to do was come upstairs to cuddle with them.

“I know, Mommy,” she’d said with a grin.

Lucifer was falling asleep sitting up, and Chloe pulled at him until he agreed to go upstairs with her. She saw the clean sheets on the bed, and looked at him with a tender smile, “You wanted the sick person germs off the bed, didn’t you?” 

“Well, if Beatrice wanted to come in during the night, then it would stop her from getting sick…” he told her, undoing his belt and taking off his waistcoat. “You were sleeping soundly earlier, and the house hadn’t been cleaned in a few days and I figured that a fresh set of sheets would-”

Chloe interrupted him with a kiss to the cheek, and a shy smile. “Thank you, Lucifer,” she said softly to him. And then she laid down and pulled him down to lay down with her. And then they slept. It was peaceful and quiet, and when they woke in the morning, it was gently, to Beatrice climbing into bed with them and snuggling her way between them (it was her favorite place to be when they all snuggled together, which was something they had started doing more of that after Chloe’s visit to the hospital and it was good for them all, really).

As Beatrice snuggled between them both, Chloe barely waking as she laid in Lucifer’s arms (and the arm that had been tucked under Chloe’s head was now being laid on by the both of them, and it had started to tingle a little while ago, but now he knew it would get a little worse… He didn’t care though, he was with his Deckers and that, that made him happier than anything he’d ever done). There was still time before the alarm went off, before the urchin had to get ready for school, so Lucifer held them tighter, and waited for the sun to break through the clouds…


End file.
